Baseball Caps and Cowboy Boots
by ThePro-LifeCatholic
Summary: After Doof's overthrow, members of the 2nd Dimension can finally return to a more normal life. But things had changed drastically during the years of dictatorship. Relationships will have to be rectified, and the past will have to be confronted in order for true peace to prevail. Takes place between "Across the 2nd Dimension" and "Tales from the Resistance".
1. The Recurring Nightmare

**Hello, world of fanfiction!**

 **I know I have a bunch of Doctor Who stories that need to be updated, but ever since _Phineas and Ferb_ came out on Netflix, I've been sort of binge-watching episodes. I worked through the whole 4th Season rather quickly, and I greatly enjoyed it, especially "Tales from the Resistance". Perry the Platyborg has always been a favorite of mine, and seeing that episode rekindled my love for that partly-mechanical monotreme (and the scenes with Phineas and Ferb...oh my gawsh. The feels).**

 **Anyhoo, _Phineas and Ferb_ is awesome, two-car garage, etc., etc.**

 **So here's my take on the transitional period between _Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension_ , and the episode "Tales from the Resistance". I hope you all enjoy, and I'll be getting back to my other stories eventually!**

 **God bless and have a great day (or night)!**

 **ThePro-LifeCatholic**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Phineas and Ferb_ , nor its characters or dimensions.**

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 _Phineas Flynn ducked into a backalley, taking cover behind a large trash bin. These were the times when he really had to re-consider his life choices; for example, why he had thought that becoming part of the Resistance of Danville was such a stellar idea in the first place._

 _"We should do lunch sometime!" a far-too-chipper voice proclaimed loudly. From somewhere on the main road, making its way steadily towards Phineas' hiding-spot, a legless robot was in hot pursuit of Danville's most wanted. Phineas scrunched himself into an even smaller ball, as if the new position would further ensure his chances of survival._

 _ **"Present yourselves without any sign of resistance or face immediate annihilation."**_ _The voice had changed, dropping in pitch, becoming noticeably hostile despite being computer-generated. It was also much nearer…in fact, Phineas guessed that the source (aka the giant, mindless robot) was just outside the alley. If the robot_ _ **was**_ _in fact right in front of the street he was hiding in, then it probably would be stupid for Phineas to choose that exact moment to peer around the side of the trash bin. Candace would've told him so, but he was here, alone, with no one to give him tips on what to do in precarious resisting situations like these. So, without much thought for the danger of the action, Phineas Flynn peeked out from behind the bin._

 _Just at that moment, the Normbot decided to turn his head in the direction of the alley-way. Its head had changed from the blank face – fashioned after that of a human, complete with brown hair, a pair of blue eyes, and a permanent smile – to a grey, bucket-shaped head with black spikes and a red visor._

 _ **"Figure identified,"**_ _It growled, zooming towards Phineas' hide-out._ _ **"Phineas Flynn-Fletcher, member of the Resistance. Prepare for immediate disposal."**_

 _Phineas could hear the clanking of the robot's talon-like claws snapping together like giant, mechanical crab pinchers. Whatever the Normbot intended to do, it certainly wasn't going to be pleasant._

 _"No point in sticking around," Phineas muttered to himself. But when he tried to move, he found that his legs were somehow frozen to the ground. No matter how he strained, he couldn't push himself forward. Concern slowly morphing into panic, Phineas grabbed the walkie-talkie strapped around his chest._

 _"This is Phineas Flynn-Fletcher," he all-but-shouted into the device. "I'm cornered by a Normbot, and I'm unable to escape. This is Code Brother; I repeat, Code Brother!"_

 _The only response he got was a rush of static. Where was everyone?!_

 _ **"Prepare for immediate disposal."**_ _The trash bin was lifted into the air as if it had no weight. The Normbot flung it carelessly to the side and advanced upon the red-headed boy. Phineas, fighting desperately against rising terror, reached for a weapon, a rock, something to use in self-defense. It was then that he made the startling revelation that he was dressed in his Dooferalls. What happened to his Resistance outfit?! Didn't Candace tell him to always wear it when they were going on missions? There was no way his Dooferalls could protect him from the iron grip of the Normbot's claws._

 _Speaking of Normbots, this particular one was coming closer, raising its arm into the air. It growled, a low, grating sound that put Phineas' nerves on-edge…_

 _…Wait. When did Normbots growl? They were known to hum, speak like a person, mechanically repeat orders and mission purposes, even emit screams when put through painful disassembly. But growl? And now that Phineas was paying attention to this detail, it sounded more to him like a chatter…a low-pitched, somewhat mechanical chatter. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd have sworn he was hearing-_

"Perry!"

Phineas sat bolt upright. His hair was standing on-end, which might have been a bit disconcerting if it hadn't already done that in the first place. It took a moment for the boy to take his surroundings into account. Firstly, it was nighttime, and everything was dark. When his eyes adjusted, Phineas realized that he was in bed, in his bedroom, and a blue glow was shining on his purple covers. He followed the light across the length of his bed, finally coming to its source. The small, rectangular outline next to his pillow chattered again, placing a cold, metallic hand on Phineas' shoulder.

"Perry!" Phineas exclaimed again, except this time his voice wasn't laced with fear. He grabbed hold of the cyborg platypus, pulling him into an embrace. Perry's metal clanking and glowing blue eye weren't frightening to the young boy; in fact, he drew comfort from the knowledge that his pet was once again in his and his brother's bedroom.

Perry himself, on the other hand, tensed up as Phineas hugged him. All that time spent serving Doofenshmirtz, and he couldn't remember a time when someone had expressed care or love towards him.

 _A hug, Perry. It's a hug,_ he berated himself mentally. _Get over it._

After a few seconds ticked past, Perry wriggled out of his owner's grip and examined Phineas thoroughly. He growled again with a questioning undertone. He tilted his head to the side, hoping Phineas would pick up on what he was trying to say.

"Oh, well…" Phineas scratched the back of his neck, settling back into his pillow. "It was a nightmare. I was trying to run away from Normbots, but I couldn't escape. Just when I thought they were going to get me…" he paused, and Perry noticed that his owner's pale hands were tightened around the corners of his blanket in a death-grip. "…That's when you woke me up. I heard you doing your little chatter thing, and next thing I knew, I was safe in bed, with my pet beside me."

Perry, standing up on tiptoe, reached over and placed his teal paw on Phineas' hands, untangling them from the covers. Phineas furrowed his brows in confusion, then chuckled.

"Alright, Perry, I get the hint," he said. Platyborg grinned and patted the pillow. Obediently, Phineas lay back down, and Perry pulled the covers up to his chin (or, perhaps more accurately, where a more noticeable chin should have been).

"Night, Perry," Phineas yawned. His eyes were already beginning to close. "And thanks for being here."

Perry smiled and gave his owner a thumbs-up, despite the fact that Phineas wasn't looking in his direction. One final time, he emitted a low, growling chatter. The ends of Phineas' mouth twitched upward as the boy slipped into a doze.

Perry's expression, usually stony and stoic, was fond as he watched Phineas sleep. He directed his attention to Ferb's bed, wincing with the loud grating noise that accompanied a head turn. The tuft of green hair that could be seen on the pillow didn't stir; both boys were sound asleep, and hopefully dreaming of good things. The former agent nodded to himself, pleased with the peace that prevailed once more in the Flynn-Fletcher household. Glancing at the alarm clock next to Phineas' bed, he decided it was high time he returned to his own bed downstairs. He left the room as quietly as he could, trying not to flinch with every mechanical creak and clank his joints made.

 _If Doof_ _ **had**_ _to make me a cyborg,_ he mused, _Couldn't he have made a quieter one? Did he never think of the advantages?_

Then again, Doofenshmirtz hadn't really been what one would call a "strategist". Why else would he put his former nemesis in charge of his scary robot army, if he could have just as easily led it himself? Still, the platyborg had to hand it to his former master. Doofenshmirtz might not have been the most talented, most handsome, or smartest of people, but he was able to see and exploit what other people possessed for his own gain.

"Perry?"

Platyborg froze, coming to a standstill just in front of the stairwell. That wasn't Phineas' voice, nor was it Ferb's or Candace's. It was coming from downstairs.

"Is that you, Perry?"

Perry chattered loudly in response, descending the stairs two at a time. By the time he reached the bottom, he had discovered the speaker.

Linda Flynn-Fletcher stood in the doorway to her and Lawrence's room, a sleeping mask dangling around her neck. She looked…frightened. When Perry came forward, she sighed audibly with relief.

"Oh, it is you." She paused, and Perry tilted his head again, questioningly.

"I was still half-asleep," Linda explained, "And when I heard you moving around upstairs, I thought that a Normbot had gotten into the house. Of course, though," she tittered nervously, wringing her hands together, "Everyone knows that the Normbots were destroyed when the Resistance took down Doofenshmirtz."

Perry's whole form sagged, his tail scraping the ground. He knew Linda wasn't trying to offend him; she was scared, her nerves still frayed from years of cruel dictatorship. Everyone was still suffering the aftershocks. It would take a while for Danville to return to normal. But being called a Normbot, a single-minded slave of Doofenshmirtz and symbol of the evil scientist's reign…it hurt. Even being _mistaken_ for one was more than enough to trigger some very not-so-pleasant memories, most of them revolving around Doofenshmirtz and being the general of a robot army. Without a word, he turned and made his way slowly to the living room. His pet bed – Phineas and Ferb had kept it fluffed and in good condition all those long years – was nestled between the wall and the couch.

"Perry," Linda's voice penetrated the nighttime silence yet again. "Your tail…!"

Perry turned around, his tail snapping up into the air. His one brown eye widened as he noticed the erratic tear in the living room carpet, ending at his feet. With an apologetic half-smile, he scurried to his bed. Out of sight, he plopped down on the green cushion. He heard the door to the parent's bedroom close, and he sighed dejectedly. Coming back after Doofenshmirtz's defeat was not all that he had dreamed it would be.

With a low, frustrated growl, he attempted to find a comfortable position on his bed while at the same time trying to ignore the fact that this didn't make much sense, seeing as no matter how he lay on it, he couldn't feel the soft surface under his metal body. Finally Perry gave up, settling for lying on his back with his head pointing in the direction of the sliding door. Outside, he could see a few stars dotting the purplish-pink sky. Everything was quiet and deceptively calm, almost as if he were witnessing an ordinary nighttime after a perfectly ordinary day in a wonderfully ordinary city.

Perry growled again, pulling the cushion out of the basket and placing it over his face. This was going to be a long rest of the night.

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 **So begins another Phineas and Ferb story. Man, I haven't written for this fandom in _years._ It feels kind of nice to be writing fanfiction for them again. :)**

 **Poor Perry the Platyborg. I can't help but feel that in the episode "Tales from the Resistance", there was a lot of angst and recovery from Doof's takeover that wasn't addressed. I mean, there's only so much that you can cover in 22 minutes, and I think the episode was really good, but I still wish we could've seen a bit of that recovery...and by that, I mean other characters and not just Candace.**

 **Ah, well. At least now I can write fanfiction about recovery.**

 **And I'm ranting now.**

 **Just like Doofenshmirtz.**

 **Alright...then. I should probably go do something useful now...**


	2. Much Ado About Pancakes

**I will be posting these as the chapters get written. I don't have a specific schedule or anything, but since this is a shorter story, it won't take me too long to finish. That, and the inspiration for this fic is still rather fresh, so the idea isn't tiring or just mulling about in my mind.**

 **When this is over, I'll still be working on my Doctor Who ficlets, but I've been thinking more and more about _The Secret Files of Former Agent D_ , which is something I've been meaning to finish for a while now. _Wanted: Dead or Destroyed_ is also going to be re-written and posted again at some point, so don't worry about that.**

 **Anyhoo, onto the chapter!**

 **God bless and have a great day (or night)!**

 **ThePro-LifeCatholic**

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 **I don't own _Phineas and Ferb_ , its characters, its episodes, or feature-length film in fabulous 2D.**

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Phineas cracked open his eyes. Morning had come soon after he had fallen asleep a second time, and there had been no more nightmares to disturb his rest.

Well, probably time to get up and dressed, ready to join Mom, Dad, Ferb, and Candace downstairs for mandatory Doof-Brand cereal before heading out to the living room to sit on the couch all day.

As he pushed back his covers, Phineas was struck with sudden realization. There was no Doofenshmirtz! No rules to follow and no mandatory breakfasts to eat! The red-headed boy leaped out of bed, bare feet slapping against the floor boards. Grabbing his pillow, he stealthily made his away across the room, closing the distance between himself and his brother's bed.

 _*FWAP*_

Ferb sat bolt upright, blinking rapidly. A handful of feathers floated gracefully down from the ceiling.

"Morning Ferb," Phineas said with a laugh.

Ferb glanced sidelong at his brother before quickly slipping out from underneath his blanket and grabbing his own pillow. He landed a concentrated blow directly on top of Phineas' head. The room exploded into a blur of feathers.

"Oh, you're on!" Phineas shouted. Taking a hold of his own pillow, Phineas leaped up onto his bed and spun around several times before letting go of his makeshift weapon. The pillow sailed over Ferb's head, and the green-haired boy smirked. Now his younger brother was not only weaponless, but dizzy as well.

"Hold up, Ferb!" Phineas stuttered, shaking his head. Ferb opted to completely disregard his brother's request. Instead, he jumped onto the bed with the intent of knocking Phineas face-flat on the mattress. Some miscalculation must've been made when he performed his jump, for although he managed to tackle Phineas, they both ended up going over the side of the bed and hitting the bedroom floor.

"Phineas, Ferb!" The bedroom door was flung open, and their older sister, Candace Flynn, was standing in the doorway. She rushed over to where her brothers were lying on the floor. "Are you alright?" she asked, the words tumbling over each other in her concern.

Phineas, underneath his brother, was shaking with laughter. Ferb grinned and gave Candace a thumbs-up.

"We're fine, Candace," Phineas gasped. "Get…off…me…Ferb!" Curling his legs up against his chest, Phineas gave a mighty shove, pushing Ferb onto the floor beside him. Candace's expression softened.

"What were you guys doing, anyway?" she wanted to know.

"We were having a pillow fight," Ferb answered, his mild, British voice standing in stark contrast to Phineas' naturally loud, unaccented exclamations. He picked up his pillow and threw it onto his bed.

"Well…" Candace mulled over her brother's response. "Alright. Just be careful. I don't want either of you getting hurt."

"It's fine, Candace," Phineas said again, fluffing his own pillow. "We're not doing anything dangerous. But why do you have your bo staff?"

"Uuuh…" Candace glanced at the metal pole in her hand, eyes widening as if she had just realized that she was holding it. "I just…well…it never hurts to be prepared!"

"Oh." Phineas wasn't sure what to say, so he directed his attention to his bed. "Ferb and I'll be right down. We just have to make our beds and get dressed."

Candace watched her brothers begin their usual morning routine. Slowly, the frown on her face was replaced by a smile.

"You know, Phineas and Ferb," she said. "You don't _have_ to make your bed."

Phineas and Ferb looked up at her sharply, surprised etched into their expressions.

"But, Candace," Phineas started, "This is what we've always done! It's part of mandatory morning chores, and-"

"And nothing," Candace broke in, holding her hand up. "You don't need to follow any mandatory routines. Not anymore. C'mon, it's not like you're breaking any rules. Just this once."

"Well…" Phineas scratched the back of his head, an action he performed if he was nervous or unsure of himself, "Don't Mom and Dad like it when our rooms are clean?"

"I'm sure they can deal with it for one day. And besides," here Candace leaned forward, voice dropping to a stage-whisper. "I didn't make my bed this morning, either."

Phineas and Ferb looked from her to each other, their eyes wide with disbelief. "Really?" Phineas breathed. Candace nodded solemnly. Then Phineas smiled, his blue eyes sparking with merriment and a hint of mischief.

"Okay, then."

"If you wanted to," Candace continued, straightening up, "You could eat breakfast in your pajamas, too." She twirled her bo staff several times like a baton.

"If it's all the same to you, Candace," Phineas replied, "I'd rather have my clothes on. That way, Ferb and I can get started on the day right when we're done eating."

"Good enough reason for me," Candace responded, planting her staff on the floor. "But hurry. Mom told me she was making a surprise breakfast, and I have a feeling it won't be blueberry muffins." With that, Candace spun on her heel and marched from the bedroom. Phineas and Ferb exchanged a look. Then they rushed to their dresser, yanking out their Dooferalls and starting an unofficial competition to see who could get dressed and downstairs the fastest.

"Hey Mom!" Phineas shouted, sliding into the kitchen. Ferb was directly on his left, rushing across the tile on his stomach. Linda Flynn-Fletcher jumped backward, arching her back and executing several spins as her sons charged into the kitchen, one in front of her and the other coming up from behind.

"BOYS!" she screeched. "I'm holding a _hot pan_! Watch yourselves!"

"Sorry, Mom," Phineas stuttered, coming to an abrupt halt. "Ferb and I just wanted to know who had gotten into the kitchen first."

Their mom sighed, adjusting her grip on the panhandle. "I'm sorry for yelling," she apologized. "You took me by surprise, that's all."

"We won't do it again," Phineas promised, walking into the dining room with Ferb in tow. "But who got out here first? It was me, wasn't it?" Just then, Lawrence Flynn-Fletcher stepped into the kitchen. He had a stack of plates in his hands, with five plastic cups precariously balanced on top of the plates.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Phineas, but I think Ferb-o was just ahead of you," their father commented. His voice had a British accent, characteristic of the two original "Fletcher" members of the family (Ferb and his father), who had come from England. Phineas, in response to this news, faked a despondent cry of despair and fell dramatically to his knees. Ferb rolled his eyes, and Linda and Lawrence laughed at the antics of their sons.

"Alright," their mom stated, placing a large platter in the center of the dining room table, "Come and sit down. Breakfast is ready."

"What did you make?" Phineas wanted to know. He could hardly contain his excitement and curiosity. He couldn't think of a time when he had felt so eager about anything, and looking around the table, he realized that this was the first time he had seen his whole family smiling and gathered together. Candace would often take her food to her room, or simply wouldn't show up for meals. Dad was often working at the factory, and Mom would quickly finish her food and disappear to some obscure area of the house. And Perry…

…Well, now he could forget those days.

Candace had just entered the kitchen. She was dressed in her Resistance outfit, minus the sunglasses, bo staff, and belt of grappling hooks that was usually hanging from her waist. Time and again during the past two or three weeks, their mother had expressed her discomfort at Candace carrying weapons around the house. So Candace left them in her room most of the time.

"Now, Phineas and Ferb, I'm not sure if you'll remember these," their mom was saying as she plopped thin circles of golden fried dough onto each plate, "But Candace, your father, and I certainly do."

"Pancakes!" Candace exclaimed, actually looking happy for once. "We used to have these every Saturday!"

"Pancakes?" Phineas poked his with a fork. "What do they taste like?"

"Why don't you try it and find out?" Linda suggested, sitting down and beginning to pour syrup on her own serving. "Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro had some syrup stashed away, and she was gracious enough to let us borrow some. I expect all of you to write her thank-you notes to take to her later today."

Phineas and Ferb directed all of their attention to their plates of food. Cutting off huge chunks, the step-brothers simultaneously stuffed large bites of pancakes into their mouths. The syrup was cold and sweet, and the pancakes themselves were still warm, and had a fluffy, dense texture.

"They taste like muffins," Candace commented, disappointment seeping into her voice.

"I know," Linda said apologetically, pouring herself a glass of milk. "I don't have any pancake mix, so I thought I would try using the pancake-flavored muffin mix instead. But your father and I were thinking about going out today."

"Go out?" Candace dropped her fork onto her plate and looked up sharply. "Where? For how long?"

"Danville Mall is re-opening today," Lawrence explained. "We were thinking about going shopping for groceries, and clothes for you three."

"Clothing might not be available yet," Linda interjected, "But we definitely need to find a new rug for our living room. See, last night, there was an unexpected accident-" She snapped her mouth shut in mid-sentence as Perry ambled into the room. He was on all fours, his tail raised slightly to keep the sharp spike on the end from dragging along the ground.

"Morning Perry," Phineas called. Perry stretched, yawned, moved one paw up to rub his one good eye, and fell forward on his bill with a grunt. Phineas and Ferb slid off their chairs and raced over to their pet platypus.

"Are you OK, Perry?" Phineas asked worriedly. Together, he and his brother hoisted the platyborg to his feet. "Must be hard to balance all that metal, huh?"

Perry shook them off, growling in frustration. As he stood up, sheets of metal seemed to sprout from nowhere, covering his left arm and paw in black and grey pieces of machinery. He stalked into the kitchen and began rooting through the cupboards, opening and slamming their doors noisily. It wasn't too long before he emerged again, holding his food bowl in his right hand. He presented it to Phineas, who smiled and took it to the table.

"Is it alright if Perry has some pancakes, Mom?" he asked.

"I don't see why not," Linda replied. Perry watched expectantly as his owner dropped several pancakes into his bowl. Instead of setting it on the floor, however, Phineas placed the bowl on the table, next to his own chair.

"Come on, Perry." He patted the chair.

"So, boys," Lawrence said, "What are the big plans for today?"

"Well," Phineas started, trying to speak around a mouthful of breakfast, "Some of the Resistance members are coming over today. Buford offered to break up the cement in our backyard. That, and we wanted to brainstorm ideas for an ultimate summer-time experience."

As Phineas was speaking, Perry was trying to get up into the chair. Unfortunately, due to the large metal plate on his chest, it was proving to be a rather difficult task. Backing up, he leaped into the air and fired up his rocket-foot. When he was directly above the chair, he turned it off and plummeted to earth. He smashed down on the seat, sending pieces of wood and plastic flying in all directions. Several long moments of silence passed before Linda sighed and wrote something down on a pad of paper next to her on the table.

"We should also look for chairs while we're out," she murmured. "Well, we'd better get a head start, Lawrence. Since it's re-opening today, it's going to be packed."

"Good thinking, Dear," Lawrence replied. He and their mom headed to the front door.

"Mom, Dad," Candace called, following closely behind them, "You're not taking your travel papers with you, are you?"

"Oh," Linda pulled the small booklets out of her purse and rubbed them between her fingers. "Well, Candace, we can't be too careful, now can we?"

"Mom." Candace pulled them out of her mother's hand and placed them on the stand next to the door. "Doofenshmirtz is no longer in charge. The Normbots were all destroyed. You don't have to worry about it."

Their mother sighed and smiled, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "You're right," she conceded. "I'm leaving you in charge. Have fun and stay safe! We'll be back later this afternoon."

"Bye Mom and Dad!" Phineas waved from the table. Linda and Lawrence stepped outside and closed the door behind them. Candace locked it and headed to the kitchen.

"I have to use the phone," she said.

"Why?" Phineas wanted to know. He began clearing the plates off of the table. Ferb was helping platyborg clear up the remains of the chair.

"I need to let Jeremy know that I can't go to his house this morning," Candace explained, dialing Jeremy Johnson's number into the device. "I'll be busy watching you guys. You can wait for Buford in the backyard if you want."

"OK, Candace." Phineas dropped the stack of plates into the sink and dried his hands off on a towel. Ferb had finished sweeping up the slivers of wood and had neatly disposed of them in the trash can. Phineas inspected the dining area, trying to place his finger on a detail that didn't seem right.

"Hey," he started, glancing around the room. Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by the _*buzz*_ of their doorbell. "I'll get it!" Phineas yelled, running to the door. When he got there, he came to a screeching halt. Unlocking it, he opened the door as little as possible, peeking through a small crack at the newcomers.

"Baljeet!" he exclaimed warmly, opening the door. "Come on in!"

"That's _Doctor_ Baljeet," the Indian boy muttered. "I've brought along Buford, as well."

"I'm ready for the day!" Buford said gruffly, shoving past the skinny doctor and showing himself in. Slung over his shoulder were several pickaxes. "So, let's get started, shall we?"

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 **Buford carries pickaxes around for fun. After all, he loves breaking stuff for the state. Or just breaking stuff in general for anyone, for that matter.**


	3. Watching Grass Grow

**For this story, I was originally going to update this as I finished the chapter after it, but since I'm nearly done with Ch. 4, I figured I'd go ahead and post this one.**

 **Thanks to all to faved, followed, and reviewed! Seriously, though: reviews certainly do help with inspiration and motivation. Whether I get reviews or not doesn't determine whether or not this story gets finished, but it does provide that extra boost to finish it up.**

 **Hope everyone's having an awesome summer vacation so far!**

 **God bless and have a great day (or night)!  
ThePro-LifeCatholic**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Phineas and Ferb_ , nor any of its characters. I guess I own some of the ideas presented in this chapter, but I think that's about it. *twiddles thumbs* So, anyhoo...**

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Candace listened to the beeping on the other end of the line, willing Jeremy to pick up his phone. Several buzzes later, she heard a _*click*_ , and Jeremy's voice crackled through her ear.

"Hello, Jeremy Johnson here."

"Hey, John-Jeremy," Candace stumbled over her words and blushed furiously. _Good thing he's not here to see me._

"Oh, hi Candace." Jeremy's voice sounded much happier and relaxed at the sound of her greeting. "I wanted to double-check about the time you wanted me to pick you up."

"That's why I'm calling," Candace began, trying to figure out the nicest way she could break the bad news to him, "My mom and dad went out to Danville Mall today. Apparently it just re-opened. Anyway, I have to watch my brothers." Suddenly an ingenious thought occurred to Candace. Maybe Jeremy could come over to her house! That way, she could still hang out with Johnson and keep an eye on her little brothers. Surely she could do both, right?

Just then, Buford walked by, swinging pickaxes carelessly around his head. Candace mentally groaned, her body sagging. Oh, who was she kidding? There was no way she would be able to keep her thoughts off of her brothers now.

"Sorry, Jeremy," she continued, voice laden with disappointment, "There's just no way we could hang out today. Maybe tomorrow?" She perked up hopefully, but her spirits were brought even lower by Jeremy's next statement. "Oh. You're planting trees in the park all this week?" She slumped forward, practically laying her head on the kitchen head. "Alright, then. Tell Coltrane and Rodrigo ***** that I say 'hi'." She hung up the phone and looked around for her brothers. They were standing in front of the slider door that led to their backyard, but they weren't showing any signs of stepping outside. Buford and Baljeet were already in the backyard; Buford was examining the cement while Baljeet was tapping the ground beneath his feet and fiddling with a portable screen that was in his hands.

"What's the holdup?" she inquired, standing behind her brothers.

"Well," Phineas explained, "It's just that, we've never really been outside, and there might be danger outside…"

"Phineas," Candace crouched down, placing her hands comfortingly on Phineas' and Ferb's backs. "Ferb, listen to me. If I thought it was too dangerous, I wouldn't let you go. But you of all people should know there's nothing to be afraid of anymore. Now go on out there." She gave them both a firm push, sending them out into the backyard and stepping out behind them. "I'll be right here with you."

At first, her little brothers crowded around her legs. But when nothing lethal or unexpected happened, i.e. a Normbot popping up from behind the fence, or a random explosion, or their tree falling over, they left the protection of Candace's arms and walked over to Baljeet and Buford.

"What'cha got there, Baljeet?" Phineas asked, jabbing a finger at the screen the young mechanic/scientist was holding.

" _Doctor_ ," he snapped in response, sounding more weary than angry at having to repeat himself. "And I'm currently trying to figure out an accelerated grass-growing program."

"A what?" Phineas and Ferb blinked, their expressions blank. Baljeet sighed.

"I'm trying to figure out a way to make grass grow more quickly."

"Are we going to have grass? In our backyard?" Phineas was perhaps the only boy his age who would get so worked up over the thought of grass growing. Baljeet nodded in answer to his friend's questions.

"Yes; at least, that's the intended outcome."

"Did you hear that, Candace?" Phineas bounced over to his sister, "We're gonna have grass in our backyard!"

"But first, we've got to get rid of the cement," Doctor Baljeet continued. "Fortunately, I knew someone who specialized in breaking rock-like substances."

"Expert demolitionist, coming through!" Buford shouted. Hoisting the pickax above his head, he emitted a war cry and slammed the sharp pick into the ground. Shards of concrete went flying in all directions.

"HEY!" Candace grabbed Phineas and Ferb, pulling them way from the shower of rubble. "Watch where you're doing that, Buford!"

Now Buford, on most other occasions, would have stayed true to his unofficial status as "Resister of the Resistance", and probably would've disregarded Candace's orders immediately. In fact, just to oppose her, he would've moved closer to her before beginning to smash more concrete. But her tone of voice, the withering glare she was sending his direction, and the fact that his actions would directly affect Phineas and Ferb, were all reasons enough for him to heed her commands for once. So he shifted position, moving to the corner of the backyard before commencing to rip up the cement while shouting and jumping up-and-down.

Phineas and Ferb watched, their expressions conveying a mixture of fear and intrigue.

"Can we do that?" Phineas asked.

"No." Candace's reply was quick and sure. Phineas turned and looked up at her with his big, blue eyes.

"Come on, Candace? Please?" he pleaded. Candace wanted to say no, it was dangerous, but they had done _nothing_ remotely fun or thrilling during Doof's reign. On top of that, they had even helped to take down that tyrant with next-to-no training, which had been much more life-threatening than wielding a pickax. And her brothers were giving her that look they had given her when their first-dimension counterparts had lost their pet platypus, and she found it nearly impossible to refuse that face.

"Fine," she ground out begrudgingly. "There should be gloves and safety goggles in the garage. Get those first, then you can help Buford."

"Thanks, Sis!" Phineas gave her a quick hug, then dashed into the house. Ferb followed suite, leaving Candace with the other two members of the Resistance.

"So, Doctor Baljeet," she began. Buford seemed too preoccupied with tearing up their backyard to carry on a conversation. "What have you been doing after Doofenshmirtz's overthrow? Anything fun?"

"I'm not sure if it counts as 'fun', per se, but I've been working on this accelerated grass-growing program. When I'm not doing that, I'm trying to talk my parents into actually stepping outside."

"I get what you mean," Candace broke in, "Just today, my parents left us at the house. I swear, it's like I'm the only adult in my house."

Phineas and Ferb re-appeared, wearing large goggles and latex gloves, as well as bicycle pads that must've been stashed away in some corner of the garage during Doof's reign. Candace sighed at the sight, but couldn't help a small smile. They were practically jumping out of their Dooferalls in their enthusiasm. Buford handed them each a pickax.

"Alright you dweebs," he said, "Let's see what you're made of. Start swingin'!"

Admittedly, the Flynn-Fletcher boys were nowhere near the physical condition or stamina that Buford Van Stomm possessed, mostly due to the fact that they had stayed inside most days, whereas Buford, when he wasn't resisting anything, was usually breaking rocks for the state. No matter the reason, it wasn't too long before Phineas and Ferb were exhausted and had to take a breather. Before long, all of the cement had been smashed, and a pile of black, cracked concrete was ready to be bagged and taken around to the front yard.

"Hmm," Baljeet muttered, stamping the layer of dirt, "Nothing but rock-hard soil. Just as I suspected."

"Can you make grass now?" Phineas asked. Doctor Baljeet squinted at his screen, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I think so," he said slowly. "I'm only missing one thing. I need some actual grass to scan, so I can determine the makeup of grass down to a molecular scale. The only problem is, no one was allowed to have a garden, much less a few acres of plants. So finding grass may take a while."

"Oh no it won't!" Buford exclaimed. "I think I've got the solution to your problem. I'll be right back!" Without another word, he ran out of the yard and disappeared down the street.

"Where's he going?" Phineas asked.

"He might be heading back to his house," Baljeet suggested, "Which is a few blocks from here."

"Then we've got some time," Candace stated. She turned around and walked into the house. "Who wants a snack?" she called.

Soon, all four of them were sitting at the kitchen table, eating sandwiches and drinking lemonade.

"It doesn't feel like the seven-to-ten minutes it _should_ have taken to make these snacks has gone by," Phineas noted. Doctor Baljeet, his mouth full of PB and J, merely shrugged in response. Ferb took a long swig of lemonade, sighing with contentment at the sweet, cool flavor. In the relative calm of the moment, Candace glanced underneath the table, then scoped the rest of the room.

"Hey," she began, but was interrupted by the front door slamming open, heralding Buford's return. He raced into the room, out of breath and with his arms wrapped protectively around a…pot?

"Ta-da!" he wheezed, holding up the clay container. "It's from my mom's grass garden!" ******

"Grass…garden?" Phineas exchanged a look with Ferb. He hadn't been the only one to hear that sentence…correct?

"Well, yeah," Buford huffed. "Where do you think my natural, innate abilities to resist came from?"

Phineas blinked, trying to pinpoint what, exactly, gardens consisting entirely of grass and resisting individuals and/or organizations had in common. Baljeet groaned.

"We don't need to hear your story about your mother and her grass garden!" he exclaimed angrily. Buford glowered at the Indian boy.

"Why not? Does it bore you?"

"Well, after hearing it the third time in one day, it _does_ tend to grow a bit tiring," Baljeet shot back, crossing his arms.

"Alright, you two, break it up." Candace stepped between the two, cutting their argument short. "Baljeet, if you've got everything you need, how about you go out and get the grass-growing-thing started?"

"You haven't paid me yet for breaking up the cement," Buford piped up. Candace raised an eyebrow.

"How much are you charging?"

"A dollar fifty," was the prompt reply. Candace shook her head. "What are you planning on doing with that money?"

Buford ducked his head down to hide his abashed expression. Candace was surprised at the rare display of an emotion other than anger, grumpiness, or hunger coming from the boy.

"Well," he said, his voice uncharacteristically small and uncertain, "I was thinking maybe I'd get myself a goldfish."

"A goldfish?"

"Yeah, a pet all to myself. I need an aquarium, and food, and toys, and a filter, and fake plants, and one of those little scuba divers that goes up and down and shoots bubbles, you know? I've been addin' five cents with each house I've gone to, and at this rate, I'll have enough money to buy all the things I need for my Biff!"

"Biff?" Baljeet questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, fluff-head, that's gonna be his name."

"I'll go see if my mom has any cash lying around," Candace said, starting towards her parents' bedroom.

"I'll even bag the cement for you for ten cents extra," Buford called. Phineas, however, had stopped listening to the conversation, and was busily poking around underneath the living room sofa. When he came back up on his hands and knees, his countenance was etched with worry.

"Candace," he called, scrambling to his feet and rushing into the bedroom after his sister, "Where's Perry?"

* * *

 ***According to my personal headcanon, Rodrigo and Coltrane are the two other members of Jeremy's three-man-strike-team (mentioned in the movie).**

 ****Buford's mom's grass garden will be further elaborated on when I write a revised version of** _ **Wanted: Dead or Destroyed**_ **.**


	4. Predator and Prey

**Things keep getting in the way of writing, like Pinterest and unfinished school assignments and watching _Phineas and Ferb_ instead of writing fanfiction based on that show.**

 **And there's something coming up this weekend that I have to take control of...it's sort of stressing me out. It's new, something I've never really done before, so that's the worst part of it. I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I'm pretty sure it'll all turn out, but the fact that this is my first time doing it adds that extra bit of anxiety that I could really do without.**

 **Still...I've got a lot of peoples prayin' for me and helping me prepare for it, so I have a lot of support. :)**

 **God bless and have a great day (or night)!**

 **ThePro-LifeCatholic**

* * *

 **I do not own _Phineas and Ferb_ , nor its characters. You know what would be fun to write, though? A Phineas and Ferb and Doctor Who crossover. I have thought about a _Phineas and Ferb_ and _Sherlock_ crossover, but the entire fanfiction would probably consist of Sherlock slowly losing his mind because physics doesn't apply, and people have eight fingers, and no one in Danville seems to question the danger of Phineas' and Ferb's inventions.**

* * *

Members of the Resistance, even when not fighting Doofenshmirtz, always wanted to be in a state of readiness for…well, anything that needed to be resisted. Remaining in peak physical condition was imperative, so Candace put Dr. Baljeet in charge of making sure that everyone in the Resistance, from the youngest Firestorm Girl to the oldest teenager, was provided with a rigorous exercise routine like none other. Ironically, it was thanks to Doofenshmirtz that Baljeet was able to meet Candace's demands.

The ex-dictator had a lot of junk lying around his place, and there had been quite a lot of scrap metal in general all over Danville, due mainly to reconstruction work or feuds between the Resistance and Normbots. Despite the fact that all of the Normbots had been destroyed, thanks to the convenient self-destruct button, Doofenshmirtz's penthouse/evil-tyrant-palace was full of partly-finished projects, disassembled machines, and prototype robots that had ultimately been rejected for unknown reasons. Still, these finds proved to be of great use to the Resistance. Thanks to Baljeet's knowledge of technological (as well as scientific) matters, and the mechanical inclinations of some of the Resistance members, Doof's leftover junk had been transformed into the perfect training dummies.

Five of them were set up in strategic locations in the Resistance HQ, surrounding a small teal-and-grey platyborg standing in the middle of the room.

Perry gave his adversaries a quick look-over, scanning the entire area, taking note of where the dummies were placed. One of them began to advance, its metal joints creaking and groaning as it slowly made its way towards the cybernetic platypus. Perry took a step back, placing his feet firmly apart. His hands – one a paw covered in teal fur, the other completely made of metal – balled into fists, and he narrowed his one good eye. His robotic lens provided a stream of information regarding the build of the robots, their exact locations, and possible weak spots.

Out of the corner of his eye, Perry caught sight of an arm reaching towards him. He brought his legs together, crouching down and pressing his tail against the ground. Then, using both his feet and his tail as a springboard, he launched himself into the air. Bringing his feet forward, Platyborg slammed his full weight into the advancing robot, knocking it onto its back. The other four didn't hesitate to make their moves. They lurched towards him, swinging their arms or kicking out with their legs. Perry took them out one at a time, flying across the room to take out two standing next to each other, or ducking to avoid a swing coming from above.

" _Look at him go! It's nice to know that none of your skills were forgotten during the whole 'ordeal', if you know what I mean. I mean, that would've destroyed the entire purpose of you still being here…and I'm rambling again, aren't I?"_

Every time he knocked a robot down, it seemed that three or four others would pick themselves up and go for him again. Not only that, but their attacks were getting better. Perry blocked an oncoming strike with his arm, then flipped backwards and landed a kick directly in the leg of another. It screeched and looked down at its now-crippled leg, shaking it and whining pitifully.

" _Still a bit unbalanced on the left side there, Platyborg. I know you're not used to lugging around all that extra weight, but you really need to step up your game before you can lead an army of robots around Danville."_

From out of nowhere, one of the training dummies grabbed platyborg, picking him up in the air. Perry wriggled desperately, managing to wrest one arm out of the strong hold around his chest. In went the metal hand, out popped a double-sided mace. He shoved his arm into the robot's face and let the spinning mace do its work. In just a few seconds, the robot dropped to the ground, its faceplate reduced to a handful of scrapmetal littering the floor.

" _Oh, boy! This is even better than I had expected! You've gotta hand it to me, Platyborg; thanks to me, you're even better off than you were before! Not that you'd remember it…of course…which takes away the whole 'thanking me' deal…but the point still stands: you're a masterpiece!"_

The other four robots raced towards the platyborg from every angle, determined to finish the brawl. Perry stood up straight, sliding into a fighting trance without even thinking. It was natural for him, a secret agent who had spent years organizing and leading an army. Planning strategies came as easily to him as breathing.

" _Alright, Platyborg, enough fun-time. Finish them."_

He brought up his arms, one pointing to the right, one to the left. Pieces of metal slipped into place over his right arm and paw, making it identical to his robotic left arm. Then both hands retracted, replaced by twin blasters. He analyzed the approaching dummies, taking less than a second to pinpoint the critical systems. Then he engaged his hover wings (two streamlined sheets of metal) and bounded into the air. Holding himself aloft with his rocket-foot, he spun in a full circle, letting his blasters finish off the dummies. When he landed on the ground, he was surrounded by smoking robots, no longer fit for training.

Perry's right arm transformed as he calmed down, the metal replaced once again by teal fur. Only a hard, grey band around his wrist gave any indication that his arm was anything other than organic flesh. He kicked the nearest dummy, wrinkling up his bill at the smell of burning oil and rusted machinery.

A _*hiss*_ of air rushed past his head, and he saw something long, thin, and snake-like snap beside his shoulder. He made a move to counter this new "surprise" obstacle, but he acted a moment too late. A thick, white cord snagged his left wrist, curling tightly around it. Perry was forced to follow the rope in a circular movement; it strummed a single low note as the cord went taut. With a low growl, he grabbed hold of the chord with both paws, pulling it (and whatever was attached to the other end) towards himself. The force behind the pull was rather great, but he didn't expect the rope to suddenly go slack as the opposing force came flying towards him with no resistance. A moment later, Perry and the unknown attacker were barreling across the floor, only coming to a halt when they slammed against the nearest wall. Platyborg, the stronger and more skilled of the two, was soon on top, grappling with his adversary.

"Woah, woah! Perry!" the high-pitched voice belonged to a girl. Perry stopped in mid-struggle to get a better look at his attacker. His eye widened when he saw the bullet sash, the large, blue eyes, and the beret-styled hat, perched atop a mane of raven hair. He quickly pushed himself up, then held out a hand to help the leader of the Firestorm Girls to her feet. He chattered apologetically.

"It's alright, Perry," Isabella said, brushing off her arms, "I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that when you were in the middle of something. I couldn't help but watch. You've got quite the skills there. Although…" Here she walked over to one of the dummies, giving it a brief look-over before continuing, "The other members of the Resistance probably wanna work out too, and this is the second batch you've completely demolish in the past three weeks."

Perry ducked his head, clasping his hands together. Isabella must've seen his guilty expression, because the next thing the platypus knew, she was standing next to him, her hand resting on his right shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm pretty sure Dr. Baljeet doesn't mind coming up with redesigns for his dummies, and Rodrigo doesn't seem to mind reassembling them." She tried to give a small, encouraging smile, but the action didn't come easily. "After all, it's not like they have much to do otherwise, now that Doof's been dealt with. Besides, I think Rodrigo was planning on showing Phineas and Ferb some of his building techniques, so it would give them practice."

Perry met her gaze, and she could tell from his eyes that he was grateful for the words. She smiled – it seemed more real and effortless this time – and patted his arm.

"Oh!" she snapped her fingers, "Speaking of your owners, I nearly forgot. Phineas and Ferb wanted to know where you were. They got worried when you had left their backyard without them knowing."

She ended the sentence there, but she and Perry were both all-too-aware that a word had been left off at the end. The silent _"Again"_ hung in the air between them. Perry, wanting to escape the uncomfortable silence, nodded and turned towards the exit.

"Resistance HQ is pretty impressive, isn't it?" Isabella asked. Perry stopped and turned towards her, silently waiting for a follow-up to the question.

"You know," she continued, refusing to meet his gaze and instead focusing on looping her jump rope, "It used to be an agent lair."

Perry nodded; he had known since the first time he had been shown the Resistance HQ by his very excited owners. Admittedly, most of his memories from before his enslavement were hazy and nearly unrecognizable, but the pink and flower-adorned screen in the main room had seemed familiar; he could almost picture a little chair placed in front of a large screen, a blurred portrait of an elderly man gruffly relaying commands and debriefings. With the few images he was able to conjure up, and the lengthy explanation of the Resistance provided by its members, it didn't take Platyborg too long to put two-and-two together. Where the Resistance now operated used to the main lair for an agent of the OWCA. And not just any agent, either.

"It's funny," Isabella was saying, "One day, shortly after Doof's successful takeover, Pinky was acting strangely. He wanted me to go out to our backyard. Then he led me to his doghouse, and pushed me inside when I looked inside!" She laughed at the memory. "Next thing I knew, I was sitting in an agent's headquarters. I was sure I was on one of those prank videos. And then Pinky put that little hat on his head." She paused, becoming immersed in the complex knot she was tying into her jump rope. Perry stood respectfully in silence, hands behind his back.

This wasn't the first time the two had started this conversation. Isabella was always the one to instigate it, mentioning OWCA offhandedly, or making some comment about Chihuahuas. They hardly ever got far, though. Someone would walk into the room, unintentionally cutting the conversation short, or Isabella would break off suddenly, finding something "more important" to do. And as much as Perry hated having this talk, he wished she would just get it over with, instead of leaving him hanging with all-too-vivid recollections of fighting agents and taking down the OWCA.

"The day he showed me his lair…was the day he left and didn't come back." Isabella placed her jump rope on a hook on the far wall. Then she faced Perry and marched resolutely across the room. Her face was set and determined. "Was that the same day that you…I mean, did you ever fight Pinky?"

Platyborg nodded slowly, his face carefully blank. Of course he wouldn't be able to remember his life as a pet and secret agent, but the day Doof sent him in to destroy OWCA was something he wasn't sure he'd ever forget. It hadn't necessarily been a hard task; that is, it was going great until some of the more experienced agents, i.e. Pinky the Chihuahua, decided to show up and crash the takeover. He didn't like to dwell on that memory for obvious reasons, and the look that Isabella was giving him right then…There was some troubling thought stirring in her mind, and it was painful even just to _think_ about, judging by her expression. She was going to hate him now, wasn't she? Well, what else could he expect? At least he hadn't...wait, did she really think that he had…?

Chattering loudly in order to interrupt Isabella's thoughts, Perry waved his arms in her face and shook his head emphatically. Isabella was confused a moment, but her worried expression gave way to one of relief.

"So…you didn't actually _kill_ Pinky?" she asked in a small voice. Perry shook his head again. It was hardly a comfort to acknowledge this fact, based on everything else he had done to the Tri-State Area, but it was a comfort nonetheless.

Isabella sighed, letting a small smile grace her countenance. "Well, that's a relief," she said. Perry nodded in agreement. "Do you know where he is now?" She sounded hopeful in spite of herself.

Slowly, Platyborg had to shake his head "no" yet again. Isabella's face fell. Perry felt obliged to comfort her, but wasn't sure how to go about it. After all, he _was_ the reason why Isabella was in this state.

Isabella rubbed her eyes, as if that would appease her churning emotions. She was the Firestorm Girl leader, one of the foundational figures of the Resistance! Never before had she gone so soft. Even when discussing the fallen and/or missing agents all that time ago, she had retained a stony silence. And now she was just going to gush over a _dog_.

Her self-berating session was interrupted by something pulling on her shirt sleeve. She glanced down, noticing Perry. He looked up at her and chattered, watching her expectantly.

"What is it?" she asked, clearing her throat several times before speaking. Perry moved to the middle of the room and stopped to look over his shoulder, making certain that all of her attention was on him. Then he crouched down, placing his left foot forward and leaning back on his right. He bent his arms, once more forming two fists. With a well-timed leap, he catapulted several feet into the air and lashed out at a couple invisible opponents before landing a good ten feet away from his starting location. He turned to Isabella.

"Are you referring to Pinky?" she asked. Perry nodded, adding a chatter to let her know that she had guessed rightly. Isabella scratched her chin thoughtfully a moment.

"Was he a good…fighter?"

Again Platyborg nodded, giving Isabella two thumbs up. He tapped the side of his helmet. Isabella smirked.

"Smart, too?"

Another affirmative head shake. Perry paused, mulling over the next statement. He pointed at Isabella, then stretched out a hand, letting it hover about a foot above the ground. Then he clenched his fists together, once more taking up a fighting stance. He growled as menacingly as he could, and then reverted back to a neutral position and pointed at Isabella once more. The Firestorm Girl stared at the platyborg uncomprehendingly, her face blank. Perry repeated the actions again, more slowly and slightly more exaggerated. All at once, Isabella seemed to discover the meaning behind Perry's interesting game of charades.

"He's small, but tough!" she exclaimed, "like me!"

Perry grinned in response. _Correct, Ms. Garcia-Shapiro!_

Isabella smiled; for the first time since he had seen her that day, it looked like a real, honest-to-goodness smile. She wasn't that tough, snappish Firestorm Girl with a dash of snark. She was just Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, sharing bittersweet memories about a time that she would otherwise not want to bring up.

"Thanks, Perry," she said. "If anyone could survive Doofenshmirtz and his evil inventions, it would be Pinky, huh?"

Perry nodded, trying to ignore the pang that hit him when she uttered the words "evil inventions." He smiled extra-brightly, chattering and motioning towards the exit. Isabella nodded in understanding.

"I get it. Your owners are probably gonna tear Danville apart if you don't get up there."

Perry shrugged. _What can I say? It's Phineas and Ferb._

"Perry?"

Platyborg turned around, facing Isabella once more. She didn't shy away this time, but looked him directly in the eye.

"Thanks again."

Perry tilted his head (if he had been wearing a hat, he certainly would've tipped it to her). Seeing as the conversation was finally over, he turned and walked out of the room, the clanking of metal joints accompanying his every movement.

* * *

 **Poor Platyborg...there is so much angst that I needed to see in _Tales from the Resistance_ that never happened. I can't help but feel that Perry really needed to sort through all this shortly after he was restored to his more "normal" self. But being the selfless, suffering platyborg that he is, Perry doesn't try and show too much when he's been hurt by certain statements. After all, when it comes down to it, he probably takes a lot of the blame for his actions during Doof's reign.**

 **And I'm ranting...again...**


	5. Backstories and Storybooks

**So...my sister read the chapter before this one, and said it was good and was sad for Perry. I told her it got worse. :)**

 **I guess this is where it begins to really go downhill. I don't know if anyone else out there would consider this a bit of an overreaction on the part of _Phineas and Ferb_ characters, but I feel that I'm staying pretty close to what would actually happen if there was an episode that described these events.**

 **Think about it: Perry was Doofenshmirtz's general. He wasn't like any other slave. He was #1, and I don't people (especially the parents) would've just shrugged that off.**

 ***shrugs***

 **That's my opinion, anyhoo.**

 **God bless and have a great day (or night)!**

 **ThePro-LifeCatholic**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Phineas and Ferb_ , nor its characters. If I did, you all probably would've seen more Platyborg and 2nd Dimension-related-material.**

* * *

"Phineas, come here and eat. The food's going to be cold if you don't eat it soon."

Phineas, opting to ignore his mother for once, continued to stare out at the backyard, his nose smashed against the glass sliding door. Linda and Lawrence exchanged a glance before turning to their two other children.

"So," Lawrence began, "What happened while we were gone?"

"Well," Candace started.

"Buford tore up the cement in our backyard with a pickax," Ferb interrupted. "We helped."

"You…did?" Linda seemed shocked. And worried. "Did you get hurt?"

"No, Mom, they didn't get hurt. You can see that for yourself." Candace managed past a mouthful of cheeseburger. While at the mall, their mom and dad had come across a Slushy Dawg concession stand that must've just been opened for the special occasion about the mall re-opening. No matter the reason for its presence, Linda and Lawrence simultaneously and unanimously agreed that their kids deserved a special surprise for dinner that night. Even Candace barely remembered what take-out food tasted like, so it was quite an event for everyone at the Flynn-Fletcher house.

Well, everyone except Phineas, who was paying more attention to their backyard than to the bags of hot dogs and cheeseburgers that sat at their kitchen table.

Ferb took a sip of soda, then abruptly spat it out onto the tabletop.

"It's rather fizzy," Lawrence warned a moment too late. Ferb stuck his thumb up; he had certainly discovered that characteristic. Candace rolled her eyes and Linda laughed.

"Come on Phineas," Mom called again. "What are you expecting to see, anyway?"

"Well, Dr. Baljeet promised that there would be little green shoots in our backyard soon, and I wanted to see them grow," Phineas explained, turning to look at his mother.

"Uh, Phineas?" Candace asked, folding her arms across her chest, " _When_ , exactly, did Dr. Baljeet say that the green shoots would be there?"

Her younger brother thought a moment before answering, "Tomorrow morning."

"Then you're not going to see any grass tonight." Candace motioned for him to come to the table. "Don't worry; you're not missing anything by eating."

Phineas cast one final look towards the backyard before relenting, leaving his post at the door and walking into the dining room.

"Grass growing?" Linda prompted. "I didn't hear anything about that."

"Well," Phineas started, not bothering to wait and see if anyone else wanted to explain, "Baljeet has this program-thing that grows grass super fast! And Buford's mom has a grass…garden…apparently, and Baljeet used that grass to help him scan and genetically modify grass so it could fill our backyard in a matter of days, instead of several months like usual." Phineas stopped to catch his breath. "Oh, yeah, and Buford wants to buy a goldfish and name him Biff. Maybe he and Perry could be friends!"

Linda shot a look across the table at her husband. Candace caught the exchange, but decided against addressing it. Instead she shoved a paper bag across the table, which Phineas grabbed a hold of as he settled into his chair.

"I bought dessert!" Linda announced. "Candace, can you help me bring it out?"

"Sure, Mom." The two women pushed back their chairs, leaving the boys to finish the contents of the take-out containers.

"It's a lemon meringue pie," Linda told Candace, lowering her voice. "I didn't want the boys to know. It was one of the only dessert items I could find in the mall. There was also-" She stopped in mid-sentence when Perry entered the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are, Perry," Candace said. The platyborg acknowledged her with a tired smile and a low chitter. "You know, Phineas and Ferb have been waiting for you. Hopefully they saved you some dinner." Candace grinned. "Guess what? Mom and Dad got take-out."

Perry opened his mouth wide, giving an exaggerated expression of surprise and ecstasy. Candace chuckled and stepped around the platypus, reaching for a top cupboard. "You need your dish, huh?"

Perry nodded and reached out to take his food bowl from Candace.

"You know, if you ever need help getting it down, you can just ask someone," the orange-headed teen informed Perry. "As impressive as your countertop feats are, they really aren't all that necessary."

Perry shrugged, seeming abashed.

"Is Perry out there?" Phineas called from the table. "We've got a hot dog for you, boy!"

Platyborg chattered in response, hurrying out to take his place in the dining room. Candace pulled the pie out of the fridge, then turned to her mom. "Why do you do that, Mom?"

"Why do I do what?" Linda's hands were clasped together, held against her chest.

"Whenever you see Perry, you drop everything," Candace said. She opened several drawers, seeking out a knife to cut the pie with. "You've got all of your attention on him, but you don't really seem to acknowledge him. Is everything alright?"

Linda sighed. Instead of answering immediately, she busied herself with gathering a stack of plastic plates.

"It's fine, Candace, it's just…he worked for _Doofenshmirtz_. And it's not like he was a Normbot or a bus driver or factory overseer. I mean, I saw the daily news updates. And I can't help but worry about you and the boys." She sighed again, giving Candace an expression that seemed to say _*how can I help it?*_ Grabbing the plates, she put on a smile and walked into the dining room.

"Who wants pie?" she called in a sing-song voice.

"I do!" Phineas' hand shot into the air, followed closely by Ferb's and Lawrence's, and Perry's teal paw. Dessert was soon dished out, and it was cleared off of the plates even more quickly. Then Lawrence cleared the table, Linda began washing the dishes, and Candace headed to her bedroom to get ready for bed. Phineas and Ferb plopped down in front of the glass door, their eyes fixed on the bare backyard.

"Phineas and Ferb!" Linda called, poking her head into the living room, "Time for bed."

"But can't we stay up a bit longer?" Phineas pleaded. Ferb didn't say anything, but his demeanor communicated the same level of avidity that his step-brother expressed.

"I know, boys, but didn't you say that the grass wouldn't be there until tomorrow? You're not going to see it right now. And the faster you go to bed, the sooner it'll be morning."

"But morning is _forever_ away!" Phineas bemoaned, throwing himself dejectedly onto his back. Ferb contented himself with continuing to look out the window. Just then, Candace walked through in her pajamas.

"Candace, Dear," Linda said, "Could you tell your brothers a bedtime story? Your father and I are having…a discussion in the kitchen, and I'd like the boys to get plenty of rest. They've been much more active these past few days."

"Phineas and Ferb!" Candace came up behind her brothers. "How about a story? That'll help the night go faster."

"Well…" Phineas reluctantly tore his gaze from the backyard and faced his sister. "…I guess. Race you upstairs Ferb!" The two boys scrambled to their feet and made a mad dash for the stairs, narrowly avoiding Perry.

"Hey, Perry," Candace asked, "Think you could grab a book from the shelf and bring it up?"

Perry nodded and jogged to the living room as Candace followed her brothers up the stairs. Next to the television set in the living room was a small bookcase. There were a few cookbooks on its shelves, along with school texts and other "Doof-approved" literature. But there were about ten regular storybooks; they were worn, with foxed corners and dusty covers. Perry pulled five of them off of the case, piling them precariously in his arms and starting for the bedroom. He had to walk slowly, not wanting the stack to slide out of his grasp and end up on the floor.

"…Candace doesn't seem too worried, Dear, and look at everything she's done over the past few years to keep us safe! Doesn't that count for something?"

Perry paused in the entrance to the kitchen, cocking his head to the side. Lawrence and Linda Flynn-Fletcher were deep in conversation, discussing what seemed to be a rather weighty subject.

"I know, Lawrence, but what about the Daily News Updates? All those never-ending stories about 'Doofenshmirtz's greatest creation'?"

That exact moment would've been the perfect time for Perry to hurry past the kitchen and up the stairs to Phineas' and Ferb's bedroom. He would've handed Candace the books, and then he would've climbed up onto either Phineas' or Ferb's bed, making himself as comfortable as he could in a nest of bed sheets. Phineas or Ferb would've scratched the patch of teal fur on his neck, and Candace would've opened the book and begun to read. He could've forgotten the words being thrown back and forth in the kitchen, because they obviously didn't apply to him anymore.

Instead, he was rooted to the spot, the books clenched tightly across his small body like a makeshift shield.

"Yes, Linda; I saw those news updates. But that was when he was under Doofenshmirtz's control, remember? Candace did tell us that he had been brainwashed."

"How could something that was completely mindless be able to lead an army? Carry out orders? Enforce that…that tyrant's every ridiculous demand?"

Perry had to hand it to Linda Flynn-Fletcher: she didn't seem like much at the first glance, but when she made a point, it usually hit the nail right on the head. He _knew_ what he had been doing; he was as intelligent then as he was in the present. After all, a general had no use if he/she/it couldn't formulate plans, carry out strategies, or make adjustments to orders if complications arose.

 _"He used to be my nemesis, but now he's the general of my army!"_

Doofenshmirtz had said things like this to his face all the time. He had known. The knowledge hadn't changed anything, though.

"And what about the day he visited the factory? You told me that he just walked over to a worker and threw him across the room!"

"Well, yes. Poor chap ended up in ER for several weeks. But that was while he was under Doof's control. He's not anymore; he'd never do that to the kids."

 _Phineas. Ferb. Candace. Did they really think…?_

"Maybe not, but I can't ignore what he did. He's _dangerous._ I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with him being in the house, and always being so close to our children. Phineas and Ferb, especially."

If Doofenshmirtz had to equip him with useless junk like a metal casing, scope-eye, and retractable weapons, he could've gone that extra step and removed hearing, or caring. Because not one of his cybernetic enhancements provided adequate protection against the barrage of syllables. He slunk past the kitchen, noting how the words stopped as soon as Linda and Lawrence heard him passing through. Up the stairs one at a time, dragging his feet to the boys' bedroom. It was partly open; he pushed on the door and let himself in.

Phineas and Ferb were already in their pajamas and tucked into bed. Candace was sitting on the floor between the beds. A small cushion made out of pillows surrounded her.

"Hey, Perry!" Phineas grinned and patted the edge of his bed. "What took you so long? You sat by Ferb last time, so you get to listen to the story on _my_ bed tonight!"

Perry didn't respond with his usual chatter and half-smile. Instead, he handed the books to Candace and pointed to the door. Then he yawned and stretched.

"Oh…" Phineas' bright smile faltered. "Well, OK. Good-night."

Perry nodded and left the room, closing the door to a crack behind him. Phineas crawled underneath his blankets, and Ferb slowly laid his head on his pillow. Candace opened the first book and began to read. She had hardly made it past the second page when Ferb wriggled out of bed and slid off his covers, taking a seat beside his sister.

"Does Perry like us?" he asked. Candace stopped in mid-word.

"Of course he likes you!" she stuttered, stumbling over the answer in bewilderment. Why her brothers would ask such a question was beyond her.

"But he leaves all the time," Phineas interjected, joining his siblings on the floor. "He's always at the Resistance HQ, or flying around town by himself, or sitting in his pet bed. I thought that when we took Doof down, we would be like a regular family again. But Perry doesn't seem to be part of it."

"Or want to be part of it, for that matter," Ferb broke in. Candace looked from one to the other. She slowly closed the book and wrapped her arms around her brothers, drawing them closer.

"Remember two days after Doof was sent to prison?" she asked, "And you two were playing tag in the house? And Ferb knocked over Mom's vase in the living room? It was an accident – you didn't mean to do it – but you still felt bad, huh? Like it was your fault."

Ferb nodded and snuggled closer to Candace.

"Well, when Perry was under Doofenshmirtz's control, he did a lot of bad stuff. Not because he wanted to, but because Doof made him his servant. So even though Perry's good now, he still thinks about what he did, and he feels bad. Like you felt when you broke the vase, Ferb." She stood up and scooped Phineas into the air, settling him in his bed. Then she arranged Ferb's bed and tucked him securely into his covers. A bit of red and green hair was all that could be seen.

"He just needs some time to sort everything out." Candace stooped over and gathered up the books. "He loves you guys."

"But, Candace?" Phineas sat up. "Can I ask one more question?"

"Alright, but make it quick. You two are supposed to be sound asleep by now."

"We all forgave Perry. He knows that. Why does he still feel bad? I always feel better when someone forgives me."

Candace sighed, hand resting on the doorknob. She wouldn't expect Phineas and Ferb to understand their pet's predicament, but they still deserved to know.

"He knows, Phineas. That's not the problem. The problem is he hasn't forgiven himself yet. Now, anything else you needed to ask?"

"Can I have a glass of water?"

Candace rolled her eyes. "Oh, Phineas. Fine. But then right to sleep."

Phineas nodded and fell back on his pillow. "OK, Candace. Night, Sis."

Candace smiled. "Good night you two." She closed the door softly behind her.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This was written while listening to "Superhero" by Tim McMorris. It's a loverly song, with a nice piano accompaniment (albeit a bit repetitive), and I think it sums up Perry rather well. Even his 1** **st** **Dimension counterpart, to an extent.**

 **So, the moral of the story is: if you're ever writing material for Perry the Platypus/Platyborg, and you'd like some musical inspiration, then check out "Superhero". You won't regret it. ;)**


	6. Danger vs Deceit

**Gotta go fast this morning 'cause of stuff.**

 **So...enjoy! And thanks for the views/favs/follows!**

 **God bless and have a great day (or night)!**

 **ThePro-LifeCatholic**

* * *

 **I don't own _Phineas and Ferb_ or its characters or dimensions. Or dimension-related characters.**

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The early morning hours were spent in very much the same way day in and day out. First was to wake up, blinking blearily and stretching unfeeling joints. Next, wriggle out of bed and straighten the worn green cushion, painstakingly smoothing out the rumpled fabric. Another part of Perry's morning routine while under Doof's jurisdiction was a self-evaluation, and he continued the ritual more out of force of habit than anything else. Only when all systems, both critical and otherwise, had been assessed and deemed "fully operational" could the platyborg switch his focus to other things, like breakfast. There was always the dilemma of whether or not he should try waddling on four legs; he decided to forgo the attempt this morning. He honestly wasn't feeling up to it, and couldn't deal with falling on his face again.

With this quandary settled, Perry headed for his next destination: the kitchen area. Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher was already up and preparing breakfast. The smell of cooking eggs, mixed with freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon, caused Platyborg's stomach to grumble in a loud protest for food. Upon noticing the cybernetic platypus, Linda paused and acknowledged him with a curt nod.

"Morning," she said. Wiping her hands on a towel, she skirted around Perry (giving him a rather wide berth) and pulled open the fridge door. Taking out the jug of milk, she held it out to the platyborg.

"Think you could set this on the table?" she asked, not quite meeting his gaze. Perry nodded in response, grabbing hold of the handle and carting the gallon-jug out to the dining room. He dragged it along the tile, stopping when he reached the table in order to calculate the distance from where he stood to the tabletop.

"Phineas! Ferb! Candace! Breakfast!"

"Coming, Mom!" Phineas' voice carried downstairs and mixed with the morning sounds of spoons banging against pans, water running in the sink, and the sloshing of milk in its mostly-full container as Perry finally managed to hoist it onto the table. Another fifteen seconds later, Phineas' and Ferb's footfalls could be heard pounding down the stairs. Not wanting a repeat of the morning before, their mom made sure she had cleared the runway when her sons raced through the kitchen. Instead of stopping in the entrance to the dining room, however, Phineas went the extra few feet, sliding on his stomach and slapping Perry's right metal foot.

"I win!" he gasped, letting his face hit the tile. Ferb plopped down on the ground next to his brother and wheezed loudly. Perry glanced down at them and grinned: it gave way to a more perplexed expression when he noticed the orange-colored blotches on the boys' faces.

"Phineas! Ferb!" Their mom had taken note of their strange appearance as well, and was crouched next to them, peering anxiously at their faces. "Are you alright?"

"What's up?" Candace made her appearance as soon as Linda had begun to express concern for her sons' well-being. It was almost as if she had sensed that something could very well be wrong with her brothers. "Is something wrong?"

"I think the boys might have a strange rash of some kind," Linda said. Concern was making her voice strained and slightly tinny. "Look, Candace. Orange splotches all over their faces. And some on their hands, too!" She was growing more frenzied by the second. Platyborg, meanwhile, was making his own silent observations. On a hunch, he reached out with his right paw, gently swiping at one of the spots. Linda made a move to block his arm, but Candace intervened.

"Just let him look, Mom," she said, the statement unintentionally slipping out sounding more like an order than a request. A liquid-y substance came off of Ferb's skin; Perry brought it to his bill and sniffed it. Then, turning to Candace and Linda, he moved his arm up-and-down, his fist closed around an invisible object.

"That's right, Perry!" Phineas chuckled at his pet's miming, "Ferb and I were using that orange fabric paint you and Dad picked up at the store to design my shirt. The orange didn't look so good with Ferb's hair and all, so he's gonna wait until more clothing options are available. Hey, Perry! You wanna see my shirt? It's still drying, but I'll go grab it!" Phineas ran from the room, leaving Ferb, Candace, Linda, and Perry.

"Alright, Ferb," Linda steered the green-headed boy towards the sink. "Let's get that paint off of your face and hands. Breakfast'll be cold by the time we get around to eating it."

"Hey, Perry," Candace stooped to eye-level with the platypus, "I have to attend a special Resistance session today. Baljeet and Rodrigo called it in. I'm just hoping it's nothing too dangerous, or any new developments about Doofenshmirtz. Anyway, Phineas and Ferb don't have to come over; they specifically asked for me. I won't be hanging around for breakfast, so you can eat without me. I'll be back later." Straightening up, Candace slid her shades into place and walked purposefully from the dining room.

"Alright, everyone, time to sit down and eat," Linda announced, coming back with a now-clean Ferb Fletcher. Phineas emerged, swinging a white-and-orange striped shirt on a coat-hanger.

"Whaddya think, boy? Cool, huh?"

Perry circled the article of clothing, examining it from all sides before stepping back and nodding in satisfaction. He smiled and gave Phineas two thumbs-up.

"He likes it, Mom!" Phineas said proudly. Reaching out, he ran his finger along an exposed patch of fur on the platyborg's neck. Perry chittered loudly, his tail flapping up-and-down involuntarily. Linda watched the interaction intently, ask if waiting for something inevitably horrible to happen. When Phineas had finished the scratching session without any life-or-death situations coming about because of it, she relaxed and even smiled a little.

"Alright, Phineas; I can see that. Now put your shirt away and wash up, or else your father and brother will have eaten all the food. And isn't there something having to do with our backyard that you wanted to check out this morning?"

"Oh my gosh! I nearly forgot!" Phineas sprinted to the living room, followed closely by Ferb. They plastered their faces to the glass door and gaped at their backyard.

"Mom! Dad! Perry! Come here! Look!"

Linda, Lawrence, and the platyborg entered the living room. Phineas pointed to the window.

"There's grass out there!"

"There certainly is," Lawrence conceded, glancing at the scene outside. Perry shoved past Phineas and Ferb, making room for himself right in between the two boys. He smushed his bill against the glass, anxious to see what was making his owners so ecstatic. Phineas' words were proven true: little shoots of green dotted the yard, poking their way through the dry dirt.

"We should probably get the sprinkler system up and running," Linda noted. "Those plants are gonna need some water. And this will give me a chance to go back to gardening!" Even Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher sounded overjoyed. "I haven't done gardening in years! Imagine, Lawrence! Flowers in our backyard!"

"I can't wait to see it, Dear," Lawrence draped his arm across Linda's shoulders and drew her close in a side-embrace. "And taking care of the sprinkler system gives me something to do today."

"Where's Candace?" Phineas asked, "I bet she'd love to see this."

Perry pointed in the direction of the front door, then pretended to put on a pair of sunglasses and twirl a staff.

"Oh." Phineas' face fell, but he brightened up again as he turned to take another look at the grass. "It's actually out there. Baljeet's experiment really worked!"

"Alright, breakfast will really be cold now." Linda took hold of the boys' hands and led them from the living room. "The grass will still be there when we're done eating. The food, on the other hand, is going to be gone if we leave your father out there alone."

* * *

After breakfast had been eaten and cleared away, Phineas and Ferb slipped on their shoes and went outside, accompanied by Perry. They spent several minutes simply sitting in the grass, letting the green stalks tickle their bare legs and hands. Even Platyborg took the time to sniff the scent of fresh, growing plants. Then there was the question: what to do with the rest of the day? The grass would continue to grow, Candace was off at a Resistance meeting, and their parents were figuring out the sprinkler situation.

Fetch was considered, but Perry found it hard (not to mention frustrating) to cart around his metallic body on four stubby legs. He didn't want to play tug-of-war; he was concerned about his heightened strength unintentionally causing harm to the boys. And all three unanimously agreed that Doofopoly wasn't to be considered an option. In the end, Phineas and Ferb opted to lean against the rough bark of their backyard tree, eyes closed, drinking in the warm sunshine. Perry sat nearby, running his fingers over the prickly tips of grass. Ferb leaned forward every now and then, his head slowly drooping and his shoulders sagging as he began to doze off. Then he'd shake himself awake, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"How 'bout we see what Candace is doing," Phineas offered. He stood up and dusted off his Dooferalls. "We are members of the Resistance, after all. And I don't want to spend all day doing nothing."

Ferb got to his feet, silently assenting to his brother's proposition. Perry stretched, yawned, and stood up. He'd at least accompany his owners across the street: their mom and dad were very particular about the boys' safety, as was Candace. After all, it wasn't like he had his schedule filled or anything.

He took his place between Phineas and Ferb, chattering in a commanding tone and sticking out his hands. The boys complied, extending their own hands and taking firm hold of their pet's paws. Together they walked across the street, Perry first checking both ways for oncoming traffic. They made it safely to the gated sidewalk that led to the Garcia-Shapiro house; when they applied pressure to a certain patch of cement, the ground dropped beneath their feet. Phineas threw his hands into the air and let out a whoop as the three fell. They landed with a clatter and a smack on the grey floor, but this time there was no hidden troop of Firestorm Girls to tie them with ropes.

"Everyone must be at the meeting," Phineas wondered aloud. He helped Ferb to his feet and the trio made their way to the main room of the Resistance HQ. They stopped just beyond the doorway; a loud and heated conversation was going on, voices being thrown back-and-forth in a verbal brush.

"To get back to the _point_ of this meeting," a voice tinted with a Hispanic accent was saying, "I felt it entirely necessary to bring this situation to your attention, Sir. You can't just _ignore_ what Platyborg did before, just for the sake of keeping your brothers happy!"

"I'm not ignoring, Rodrigo." Candace's voice was aggravated, tense. "He's not evil. The day we took down Doofenshmirtz, any of his loyalty to Doofenshmirtz was electrocuted."

" _Completely?_ " Rodrigo sounded nothing if not extremely doubtful. "A very tidy solution, I must say. Almost as believable as an evil dictator giving up his regime because he found a childhood toy. How long do you really think that could hold up? You're trying to tell me that there's no chance _whatsoever_ that some scenario could reverse his present 'good' programming? If it was that easy to make the Platyborg your pet again, then how much more easily could he become that heartless general?"

"If what you're trying to tell me is that I should get rid of Platyborg, then you've got another thing coming, Rodrigo," Candace snapped.

"Get rid of Perry?" Phineas could barely choke out the four words. He turned fearfully to Ferb, as if make sure he wasn't the only one who had heard his sister's statement. Ferb was just as shocked as Phineas; he gripped his brother's hand, his eyes wide.

"Candace, Sir," Jeremy's voice broke into the squabble. "I don't think that's what Rodrigo's saying. It's not…is it?"

"Your brothers would never agree. They just got their pet back after nearly five years of him being gone." Isabella's voice was strained, each syllable packed with emotion. It sounded strange, compared to her usual no-nonsense, tough-girl talk.

"That was…a thought," Baljeet's high-pitched voice stammered, sounding almost guilty. "But that wouldn't _resolve_ the conundrum we're currently faced with."

"What conundrum?" Candace demanded. Phineas could picture her with her hands on her hips, brows scrunched together and her lips pinched in a thin, straight line. "As far as I was concerned, there was no problem with having Perry at the house."

"Even you can't deny that he's…how do you put it…? Dangerous." Rodrigo snapped back readily. "I'm not saying it's intentional, or that it's his fault, but he's a potential menace to anyone he meets. And your brothers, so comfortable with being near him, are put at a greater risk than the majority."

"Aren't _you_ a risk, Rodrigo?" Isabella rejoined. Phineas and Ferb heard footfalls from within the room; Isabella was probably jabbing her finger at Rodrigo's nose. "Isn't everyone in this room capable of becoming a 'menace' to anyone they meet? We're the ones who took down Doofenshmirtz and Platyborg to begin with. Doesn't that make us more dangerous than Platyborg himself?"

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about my loyalty changing just because someone sticks my tail in a socket," Rodrigo rebuffed. He didn't seem fazed by Isabella's questions.

"What we're _trying_ to say, Candace," Baljeet interrupted, his voice rising in volume and pitch as he attempted to make himself heard over the other speakers, "Is that Rodrigo and I have hit upon what we believe to be a rather satisfactory compromise."

Phineas waited with baited breath, but Candace didn't shoot down Baljeet's statement. Instead, it became uncomfortably quiet. Finally it was broken by his older sister saying: "Let me hear it, then."

 _What? No! This…this couldn't be happening! Didn't Candace_ _ **want**_ _Perry? Didn't she_ _ **like**_ _him?_

"I was unable to find the blueprints to Platyborg's design," Rodrigo was saying. To Phineas, the voices sounded echo-y and far away. His mind was still reeling with what his sister had just said. "But I think it's safe to assume that he must have some tracking mechanism installed, which would have allowed Doofenshmirtz to keep track of his location, and perhaps even his actions and thought processes. If you would simply let Dr. Baljeet and I examine Platyborg's component parts, I'm certain we could discover and – well, consequently, employ – these inner mechanisms. That way, you could keep Platyborg as a pet, but still be able to ensure the safety of your other family members. Especially your brothers."

"He doesn't even have to know that we're preforming this investigation," Baljeet added.

Phineas and Ferb looked at one another. Wasn't Candace going to say something? Throw the idea out the window? Tell the other Resistance members that their schemes were stupid and groundless? Ferb rested a hand on his brother's shoulder; Phineas looked down at Ferb's trembling fingers and realized that he was shivering uncontrollably. Even his breaths were short and gasp-y, almost as if he had run a full marathon. Or perhaps it felt more like someone had decided to pump all of the air out of the hallway.

Ferb Fletcher, a quiet boy who didn't often explain his self-dictated monologues, was usually two-to-three steps ahead of Phineas' quick mind and even quicker mouth. So when the half-desperate thought popped into Phineas' head, his brother had already entered the main room. Phineas charged in after him.

"What are you guys talking about?" he demanded. There was no need for him to raise his voice; as soon as Phineas and Ferb were seen coming into the room, all conversation ceased. One could have heard a pin drop in the uneasy silence that accompanied the boys' unexpected arrival.

"What are you guys doing here?" As per usual, Candace was the one to snap out of her stupor first and begin talking.

"So what's this all about?" Phineas shot back, crossing his arms. "Are we members of the Resistance for only part of the time? Are Ferb and I Perry's owners, but only part of the time? You'd think that we'd be invited to this meeting, seeing as Perry is as much our pet as he is yours."

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react this way," Candace replied. She closed the distance between herself and her brothers, crouching down and sliding the shades down her nose so she could peer over them. "This is some pretty serious stuff, Phineas. And I have to consider all of the side-effects of each option. I ne-" she paused, her gaze trained on the ground, "I need you two safe."

"As if Perry would do anything to us!" Phineas was usually so good at being sympathetic towards others. He would listen to what others had to say, try and understand their position on certain matters. But right now, right here, there was no room for understanding. He wasn't hearing Candace's words: his mind was replaying the past discussion. Over and over again, like a skipping track, he was hearing their argument. "Candace, he's good! He'd never do anything to hurt us. And you just wanna…investigate him? Monitor him without him knowing? You're not even giving him a say! This…this is…" He was too flustered to come up with a comparison.

The rest of the Resistance members remained silent and rooted to the spot during Phineas' spiel. Candace reached a hand towards Phineas. "Phineas, if you could just listen…"

Phineas recoiled, stepping out of reach. "You know what? I know what this is like." He took in the room, letting his gaze wander over every figure present. "This is something Doofenshmirtz would do." The chamber was plunged into deep silence. The boy's words hung heavily in the air like a fog.

"Come on, Ferb, let's go-" Phineas' parting statement (sounding annoyed and tired) froze on his lips. He glanced around wildly, becoming more frantic by the minute. "Hey, wait. Where's Perry?" His eyes widened and turned to stare at his sister. There were no words exchanged, but Candace received Phineas' accusation loudly and clearly:

 _This is_ _ **your**_ _fault._

"Perry!" Phineas ran out of the room. Ferb trailed after him, only stopping once to look back at his still-unresponsive teammates.

"Thanks," he snapped, the one word carrying just as much venom as Phineas' long rant. Then he was gone.


	7. Down the Platypus Hole

**Hello, internet world!**

 **I know that my readers wanted to know how Perry reacted to everything from the past two chapters, but this is a bit of a transitional chapter, going from the Flynn-Fletchers to the family pet. Don't worry; there will be plenty of Platyborg in the upcoming chapter. :)**

 **In the meantime, enjoy some over-protective Candace.**

 **God bless and have a great day (or night)!**

 **ThePro-LifeCatholic**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: Guess what I still don't own? The rights to any of these characters or the dimension they're in.**

* * *

Candace was beyond angry; exasperation, as well as worry, was pushing her to her limits. Normally she tried to keep her temper in-check, especially around her family members. Right now, though, her family members (namely, two younger siblings) were only adding to the strain of anxiety. A strain of anxiety that had made its appearance as soon as the household pet had gone missing.

"Phineas! Ferb!" The only other time Candace could remember spitting out her brothers' names with such venom was the day they had unintentionally discovered the Resistance and become the most famous faces on the Doofen-Channel. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Said brothers froze in place. They had been scooting towards the front door as quietly as possible, and it was only by sheer luck that Candace caught them before they had headed outside.

"We're gonna look for Perry," Phineas said obstinately, crossing his arms. His words were still stained with that bitter, hurt tone that he had used when confronting the Resistance members.

"You guys can't just be wandering around Danville looking for him," Candace shot back. Ordinarily she wouldn't speak so harshly to Phineas and Ferb, but right now her thoughts were consumed with the stress brought about by Perry's disappearance and fear for her brothers' safety if they dared wander too far from the house. "I've got the other members of the Resistance scouring the city as we speak. If I feel it's necessary, I can get Major Monogram on the case. I can't just let you go gallivanting all over town without supervision ."

"See, Ferb?" Phineas turned to his brother, no bothering to address his sister, "I guess we're only Perry's owners a part of the time."

Candace didn't have a quick reply at the ready, and besides, she was too busy to devote her time to an argument with Phineas. Leaving them in the hallway, she marched into the kitchen to find her mom. Linda was just putting a chicken into the oven when her daughter entered.

"Any signs of Perry yet?" the teen asked. Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher shut the oven door and straightened up, shaking her head the whole time.

"Not yet, Sweetie," she said tiredly. Candace spun her staff in a circle, lost in thought. Finally she slammed it down onto the floor.

"I'm gonna have to go out there again and look!" she huffed. Linda jumped at the _*thump*_ of the metal pole against white tile.

"Candace! You're going to crack the tile!" she reprimanded. Candace snorted in response, but her features quickly softened and she sighed.

"Sorry Mom. I'm just getting worried. Perry's gone missing before, but there are only so many places that he frequents. Usually I would've found him by now. And the boys want to help, but I don't want them just wandering out there. What if something happens? What if they got lost…or hit by a car…or had to take the bus to get somewhere?" She ran a hand through her orange hair, ruffling the top. "And all because Perry had to run off. Again. None of this would've happened if I hadn't-"

As Candace bemoaned her current situation, Linda's eyes grew wide as she struck a sudden realization. "Oh no," she murmured, breaking into her daughter's spiel, "You don't think he could have run off because I-"

Together the two finished their sentence simultaneously: "-Said those words."

"What?" Candace snapped, facing her mother sharply. "What did you say?"

"Well…I was talking to Lawrence about how dangerous he had been while serving…" here her voice dropped to a whisper, " _You-know-who._ You might think you're the only one who cares about the boys' safety, but I worry over the three of you constantly. I can't help it; Platyborg was designed to be a tyrant's slave!"

Candace's thoughts harkened to the short discussion she and her mother had the night before. Linda's fearful expression, her near-frantic concern for her children, her obvious discomfort whenever she saw Perry. A swift suspicion struck the teenager, causing her grip on the bo staff to tighten.

"Did you talk about getting rid of him?"

Linda didn't respond, but her gaze shifted and she fixed her attention on her black slacks. This was answer enough for Candace, who pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly. Then she slipped her shades into place. If she stayed in the room much longer, her near-boiling temper was going to erupt.

"I'm going back out," she snapped, not even trying to smother the hot resentment which bubbled into her words. "Just make sure the boys don't leave the house. They've tried several times already."

* * *

Upon returning to the house about two hours later, Candace instantly knew something was off as soon as she opened the front door. A quick sweep of the city had proved fruitless; Perry was nowhere to be found, and the other Resistance members hadn't encountered much luck in their own searches. Frustration overpowered her fear for the platyborg's safety, and Candace was nearing the point where she simply wanted to throw in the towel. It wasn't like he wouldn't show up eventually.

These thoughts were pushed to the wayside, however, when she entered the front hallway. It was quiet: the only sounds she heard was her mother washing dishes in the kitchen. She would've expected Phineas and Ferb to be waiting on the couch for her return, or staring out the window at the backyard, as if that would bring their pet home any faster. Of course, they could be hiding in the bedroom, still too angry to confront her.

"Phineas?" Candace started up the stairs, two at a time. There was no response. "Ferb?" Her footsteps were quick and soon she was standing in front of their door. "Come on, you two. Stop sulking around…" She trailed off, letting the door swing open with a light creak. There were the two beds, nicely made; the dresser up against one wall, pajamas on the floor…

"MOM!" Candace was down the stairs and in the kitchen faster than either of her brothers could have raced. "Where are Phineas and Ferb?"

Linda dropped the pan she had been scrubbing; it sploshed into the sink, sending soapy water sloshing onto the counter and floor. "They were in the living room not ten minutes ago!" she testified. Her voice shot up an octave and she ran past Candace. "I told them that you had left to look for platyborg, and they insisted on waiting out there for you to get back." Linda froze in front of the entrance to the living room. She stared at the empty couch and then cast her gaze about the room, frantically scanning every nook and cranny.

"But…where…?!"

Candace might've felt angry beforehand, but now she was furious. "I know where they are," she said in a calm voice. It was that sort of calm that people had when they were so upset that it hardly mattered to express it, so a dull, sedated sort of temperament was shown instead. "They left to find Perry. Of course, that's the extent that I actually do know."

"You mean they're just wandering around Danville? Alone?" Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher went white. Her shaking hands flew to her mouth, stifling a barely audible gasp. At first, Candace was afraid her mom might collapse right then and there, but she managed to compose herself and take a deep breath.

"I'll find them, Mom," Candace reassured her. Linda leaned against her daughter, letting her weight sag a moment on Candace's shoulders. Then she straightened and took another breath.

"I know you will, Sweetie," she mused softly. She pulled Candace into a tight, albeit somewhat awkward, embrace. "Just stay safe, okay?" She staggered out of the room, a dazed look still plastered to her face. She was probably going to call Lawrence, telling him to come home from the park and keep his eyes out for the boys while he was driving. Speaking of calling…

Candace ran upstairs again, this time with a different destination in mind. Flinging open her own bedroom door, Candace crossed the floor and seated herself in front of the three-vanity mirror on her dresser. She glanced around the room, then picked up a discarded lightbulb and screwed it into place on the mirror. Her reflection vanished, replaced with grey-and-green static, and finally a blank screen that looked nothing like her bedroom. A man's head appeared on her vanity; an older man with a bushy white mustache and a stern expression.

"Come in, Major," Candace demanded. The portrait of the man moved, blinking and raising one side of his monobrow.

"Is everything alright, Candace?" he asked.

"No, no it's not. As it turns out, I'm in a bit of a situation, Monogram. Perry's gone missing, and we can't find him. On top of that, my brothers decided not too long ago that it would be an _amazing_ idea to go and look for him themselves. I have no idea where they could be. I was hoping you could find some quick way to located them."

"Hmmm," Major Monogram scratched his chin thoughtfully, monobrow scrunching as he pondered. "Carl probably knows a thing or two about hacking into the live feed coming from the cameras set up around town. I'll talk to him about it and get back to you once we've found anything of importance."

"Thanks, Major."

Monogram must've caught the strain in the teen's voice, or noticed her worried countenance.

"Candace," he said, his usually-gruff voice softening, "Remember, these are _your_ brothers we're talking about. The same ones who bypassed Doofenshmirtz's security grid and freed you. The same ones who were there in the forefront helping us take down Doofenshmirtz's regime. They'll be fine." He gave her a brisk salute, then fizzed out of view. A second later, Candace was staring at her own face. She turned away in disgust at the frazzled, wide-eyed teenager in her mirror and stomped out of her bedroom.

Only when she stepped into the living room, still deserted, did she give vent to her pent-up vexation.

"Stupid platyborg!" she fumed. She twisted the metal pole over her head, slamming it down on the couch cushions. One of them flew up into the air; Candace hoisted herself off of the ground (with the support of her bo staff) and kicked her foot out at the spinning cushion. She impacted it dead-center, sending the cushion flying towards the family photograph that hung above the couch. Dropping her staff, Candace rolled forward, barely managing to grab hold of the frame as the photo fell from its nail on the wall.

She examined the picture briefly. It had been a mandatory ordeal, getting a family picture taken every year. Mom and Dad were standing center-stage, Linda's hands folded together and a fearful expression plastered to her face. Lawrence didn't look too happy, either. Candace frowned at her own image; dark blue eyes brimming with barely contained disgust and resentment. She stood apart from the rest, her hands on her hips and her mouth turned down in a scowl. In fact, the only person in the picture who was smiling was Phineas. It seemed that the years of oppression hadn't broken him, nor Ferb, despite the latter's blank visage in the photo. But there was an empty spot that needed to be filled. The picture was missing someone…or rather, some _thing_.

"You know," she muttered at the unmoving people in the picture, "if Perry hadn't run off, then none of this would've happened. Phineas and Ferb wouldn't be missing, Mom, Dad, and I wouldn't be freaking out, and I wouldn't have needed to get the Resistance or OWCA involved!"

 _Wait. Backtrack a second._

Thoughts began to churn in Candace's mind. A glimmer of an idea, a small speculation that hadn't even occurred to her before as a possibility presented itself to her. Suddenly, Candace realized that she _hadn't_ searched everywhere. Sure, she and the Resistance were performing a city-wide scan for Platyborg, scouring roadways and rooftops, but who was to say that he had even left the perimeters of his own house?

Still in the throes of her epiphany, Candace looked from the photograph to the blank patch of wall it had recently been hiding. Setting the image aside, she stood up and grabbed her bo staff. She held it vertically in her hands, bringing one end forward and lightly tapping the wall.

 _*thump, thump*_

She frowned. The noise that greeted her ears was solid. Determined to follow her mental lead, Candace continued to strike against the wall, listening intently to the _*thumps*_ that accompanied her constant knocking.

 _*thud*_

She stopped, then tapped again.

 _*thud*_

The noise was different than before: it had a hollow sound. Candace regarded this area silently, mulling over her next course of action. Twisting fingers tightly around the pole, she brought it level with the surface of the wall. She eyed her target for a moment, then rushed forward, letting all of her weight fall behind the end of her staff.

Plaster snapped and crackled; a cloud of white paint chips flew into the air and fluttered onto the couch. A web of cracks, starting from the point of impact, rippled outward and crept across the surface of the wall. A rather large dent had been made where the staff had come into contact with the living room wall, but this outcome didn't satisfy the Resistance leader. Candace leaned forward, muscles tensing. At the second attempt, chunks of plaster gave way, revealing what anyone else would've considered an exceedingly odd choice of room décor.

It was a hole, perfectly round, strategically placed in the exact location where a large mirror (or, in this case, a large family photograph) would be hung to tie the look of the room together. Its circular edge and inside was lined with metal plating, as well as bits of paint and drywall. There was also a small current of air; barely noticeable at first, but growing stronger with each passing second, coming out of the hole. Actually, to be more accurate, there was air being forced _into_ the round passageway. The draft rushed past Candace's face and tugged at the ends of her hair, as if enticing her to squeeze through the hole and find out what lay on the other side.

Except, of course, Candace Flynn didn't have to wonder: she knew all too well where that tunnel led. Dropping her bo staff on the floor, Candace climbed onto the couch and examined the diameters of the portal intently. Only when she had convinced herself that she would be able to fit did she abandoned herself to the powerful suction of the tunnel's vacuum. The current grabbed her up, sucking the teenager off of the couch and out of the living room entirely. The only sign of her ever being there was the metal pole, which lay in the same place it had been discarded mere moments ago.

* * *

 **In case you couldn't tell, I was getting a bit lazy by the end of the chapter. Ah, well. I'm still satisfied.**


End file.
